Gen. Butler's Appeal For The Poor

GENERAL ORDERS, NO. 'O. Heaüquakters Dept. of the Giu,j New Orleaxs, May ü, 1ÖC2. ) The deplorable state of destitution and lunger of the mechanica and working classes iu this city has been brought tu ;he kuowledge of the eommanding (Jeueral. He has yielded to every suggcstion nade by the city government, and or-' dored overy method of furnishing food to :he people of New Orlcans that the goveminent desired. No relief by those officials has yet been afforded. This hunger does not pinch the wealthy and influential, the leaders of the rebellion, who lave gotten uji this war, and are now endeavoriug to prosecute it, without regard ,o the starving poor, the working man, bis wife and child. Unmindful of their sufering fellow-citizens at home, they have caused or suiFered provisions to be carried out of the city for Confedérate service since the oecupation by the United States 'orces. Lafayotte Square, the home of afflucnce, was made the depot of stores and munitions of war for the rebel armies, and not of provisions for their poor neighxrs. Striking hands with the rile, the gambler, the idler and tho ruffian, they ïave destroyed the sugar and cotton which might have been exchanged for bod for the industrious and good, and rerrated the price of that which is lefi, by discrediting the very curreney they had 'urnished while they eloped with the specie, as well that stolen from the United States, as the banks, the property of the good poople of New Orleans, thus leaving them to ruin and starvation. Fugitivos froin juetico, many of them, and others, their associates, staying because too puerile and insignificant to be objects of punishment by the element governmant of the United States. They have betrayed their country. They have been false to overy trust? They have shown thomselves incapable of defending the State they have seized upon, altliough they have forced every joor man's child into their service as soliiers for that purpose, while they made heir sons and nephews officers. They cannot proteet those whom they ïave ruined, but have left them to the mercies and assassinations of a chronic mob. Thoy will not feed those whom they are starving. Mostly without property themselves, ;hey have plundered, stolen and dustroyed ;he means of those who had property, eaving children penniless and oíd age ïopeless. Men of Louisiana! working men, property holders, merehants and citizns of the United States, of whatevor nation you may ïave had birth, how long will j'ou uphold ;hese fragrant wrongs, and by inaction suffer yourselves to be raade the serfs of theso leaders ? The United States have sent land and naval forces here to fight and subdue reoellious armies in array against her authority. We find substantially, only fugitivo masses, runaway property-owners, a whiskey-drinking mob, and starving citizens with their wives and children. - It is om1 duty to cali back the first, to punish the second, root out the third. and feed and proteet the last. Jleady only for war, we had not prepared ourselves to feed tho hungry and relieve the distressed with provisions. - But to the extent possible within the power of tho commanding Genoral it shall be done. He has captured a quantity of beef and sugar intended for the rebels in the field. A thousand barrels of those stores will be distributed amone the deserving poor of this city, from whom the rebels had plundered it ; evea although sonie of the food will go to supply the craving wants of the wives and children of those now herding it at " Camp Monroe " and elsewhere, in arms against the United States, Captain John Clark, acting Chief Comrnissary of subsistence, will be charged with the execution of this order, and will give public notice of the place and mannerjof distribution, which will be arranged as far as possible, so that the unworthy and dissolute will not share its bepefits.ity commnnrt n( Mü.jor fioneral BUTJKR. üEO. C. BlBOa, A. A. G., Chicf ut Btalf.